Growing Penicillium roqueforti the hard way

[pastpawn]

Someone just posted this link, showing the simple way to grow penicillium roqueforti in your kitchen. 

Check out David Rotsztain's article on the subject:
http://thewayofcheese.com/penicillium-roqueforti-aka-blue-mould/

Well that sounds simple.  It seems I do everything the hard way.  I made streaking plates in my pressure cooker with agar agar and lactose (milk sugar), then streaked plates to get single-cell colonies.  You can see that the plates grew more quickly than I anticipated and the streaks quickly consumed the medium.  The ONLY advantage to doing it with plates and slants is that you can isolate the mold from other microbes.  But that's probably not important here as the mold will dominate the other. 

[Schnecken Slayer]

Well you have enough now to make at least one batch of cheese.   

[Frodage]

This is the easy way to culture P. roqueforti, as described by David Asher Rotsztain! Step 1: smear sourdough. Step 2: wait. Step 3: dry the bread. The photo shows what happens when you try to pick up the bread: blue mould immediately comes off as a powder. I can't wait to try this in my first blue cheese!

[StuartDunstan]

Hi Frodage. I recently came across David Asher's website and read about this method of growing your own blue mould for use in cheesemaking and was very intrigued. Have you tried it out yet? If so, how did it go?

[Frodage]

Hi Stuart,
I found David's website, too. See the attached book chapter on how to make cheese. This is where I first heard of growing your own mould, but I only finally grew the mould this past month. I plan to make my first blue this weekend, so will keep you posted with results.

[pastpawn]

It grew really fast across the plate there.  I suggest starting with the right mold, by buying a blue cheese that you like and smearing the mold onto the bread.  There are all sorts of molds that might take hold on bread.  Start with the right one.